Hotel: Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa

Address: North Malé Atoll, Republic of Maldives

Website: www.fourseasons.com/maldives

TraveLife Ranking: 5 Stars

Rooms: 96 spectacular beach and water bungalows

Room Rates: $300-plus

Awards: The Four Seasons Kuda Huraa has been recognized for its fine dining and the property is always honoured by all the important travel magazines as one of the most beautiful resorts in the world. Travelife.ca ranks it among its Top 10 on the planet.

Highlights: Everything here is a highlight – from the remote location of the property (a 30-minute speed boat ride from the international airport in Malé) to the private island reserved for the resort’s amazing spa, to the professionalism of its staff, Kuda Huraa is a bit of heaven here on earth. The diving and snorkeling are both world class and the daily trip to the where the spinner dolphins perform their magic is truly memorable.

History: Opened in 1997, Kuda Huraa was one of the first luxury properties in the Maldives. It was almost washed away by the 2004 Asian tsunami and suffered extensive damage. The owners were committed to bring it back and they turned something pretty spectacular into something out of this world beautiful. Interior highlights: Timber and thatch are used liberally throughout the resort in both the public and private areas. The intention of designers was to make the resort a model of a typical Maldivian village. Maldivians only wish their villages looked this good. Everything is first class throughout the resort – the biggest and best electronics are featured in all the rooms and high-speed internet keeps you in touch with the outside world.

In the next room: We suspect many of our fellow guests – the ones hiding behind the designer sunglasses even when the sun was not shining – were TV and film stars from Asia, the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and India (the movie stars love the seclusion Kuda Huraa offers) but no one on the resort staff would spill the beans.

The Rooms: No expense was spared making these rooms fit for royalty. The massive beach pavilions (25 in total) feature a large bedroom and bathroom and even come with an outdoor living area. The beach bungalows are somewhat larger and come with a pool and a garden sanctuary filled with lots of tropical floral and fauna. Both beach accommodations have access to the beach – one of the most beautiful in the world. There’s also a Royal Beach Villa that has two bedrooms and is perfect for families – and Four Seasons makes all members of the family welcome with lots of kids’ programs. The Royal Family would feel quite at home here. Honeymooners love the water bungalows, which jut out into the turquoise lagoon on stilts. There are 32 spacious water bungalows with a huge bedroom, large bathroom and outdoor deck. The resort offers two larger-sized water bungalows that again encourage family travel. Only the best amenities are offered – naturally – and the privacy the water bungalows offer is the main reason newlyweds request them.

The Spa: Travelife staff has sacrificed their bodies in an effort to track down the best spas on the planet for your enjoyment but frankly, few can match the Island Spa here. As the name suggests, the resort has reserved a small outer island for its spa and even though the trip from the main resort dock takes about a minute, your body feels like it’s been transported to a state of euphoria before you even get there. The international staff has been recruited from countries where massage treatments are a religion and the over the water treatment rooms, with floors cut out so you can be entertained by the local marine life while your body is smoothed into submission, only enhance the already unique experience. The spa carries a line of chemical-free products so they won’t hurt you or the delicate ecosystem found here and the treatments are all specially designed for this resort. There’s yoga lessons offered at the spa in the morning and at sunset. This is one island where you’d like to be marooned.

Restaurants: You may be a thousand kilometers away from a major international city but you’d never know that by the quality of food served here in restaurants that wouldn’t look out of place in Singapore or New York. A favourite during our stay was the Reef Club and its Italian fare. The Reef Club’s menu is punctuated by local seafood offerings and its romantic sunsets make it a popular place to dine at night. The resort also has a swim-up poolside bar and the Sunset Lounge is a great place to enjoy a pre-dinner drink. A lot of honeymooners elect the resort’s in-bungalow dining option – for obvious reasons. Shopping: There a few shops selling jewellery and island trinkets but don’t come here looking for the latest designer fashions. In fact, this is a great place to take a holiday from shopping.

Close By: There’s a few Maldivian villages on some nearby islands that the resort can arrange trips to but for the most part, you’re in the middle of the Indian Ocean with very little around you.

Tips: There’s no doubt you’re required to fork over a lot of hard earned dollars for the Four Seasons Maldives Experience, but hey, you’re worth it. This is one of those “must see before I die destinations” and the resort is worth every cent they charge. Right now, because of the downturn in the global economy, the resort is offering many different deals – like stay three nights and get a fourth night free – but even without the deals, the Four Seasons Kuda Huraa is worth its weight in gold.